Network device with reconfigurable slots

ABSTRACT

A network device includes card slots and Network Module slots that be reconfigured to hold cards and network modules having different form factors.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional application of a patent applicationentitled ROUTER WITH RECONFIGURABLE SLOTS AND FIELD REPLACEABLEMOTHERBOARD filed Dec. 21, 2004, A/N Ser. No. 11,020,733 which claimspriority from the provisional application entitled ROUTER WITHRECONFIGURABLE SLOTS AND FIELD REPLACEABLE MOTHERBOARD, filed Oct. 4,2004, A/N 60/615,911 and is a continuation-in-part of the patentapplication entitled CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY THAT MAINTAINS BACKWARDCOMPATIBILITY, filed Sep. 3, 2004, A/N Ser. No. 10/934,788, which is acontinuation of A/N Ser. No. 10/227,472 filed Aug. 23, 2002 now U.S.Pat. No. 6,796,843, where all applications are hereby incorporated byreference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A typical router or switch configuration includes a chassis whichcontains basic components such as power supply, fans, and slots whereinterface cards and network modules that are inserted into the slots.The line cards which are inserted into card slots and modules which areinserted into module slots handle packet ingress and egress and othernetworking functions. Line cards provide one or more interfaces overwhich traffic flows. Thus, depending on the number of slots andinterfaces, a switch or a router can be configured to work with avariety of networking protocols. Some switches are fixed configurationswitches that do not use line cards to implement interfaces.

Network module and interface card developers are constantly developingnew configurations having different dimensions, connectorconfigurations, and electrical requirements. Customers for routers andswitches are concerned that their investment will be made obsolete whennew, higher performance modules or interfaces are introduced that arenot compatible with a purchased router or switch. Additionally,customers may initially purchase devices configured to accept modules ofone configuration set and then decide that the use of anotherconfiguration would be beneficial.

The challenges in the field of communications continue to increase withdemands for more and better techniques having greater flexibility andadaptability. Therefore, a need has arisen for a new system and methodfor providing reconfigurable slots in a router chassis.

Accordingly, improvements are required to protect customer investmentsand provide compatibility with new products. One example of an approachto provide a new interface with backward compatibility is disclosed in aco-pending, commonly assigned patent application entitled ImprovedConnector Assembly Including Legacy and Extension Parts That MaintainsBackward Compatibility (amended), A/N Ser. No. 10/227,472, filed Aug.23, 2002, which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.

That application discloses an HWIC (High Speed WAN Interface Card)connector having a legacy part compatible with switches configured toutilize legacy WIC cards and an extension part utilized by HWIC cards.

Accordingly, new solutions to provide compatibility with legacy productsand enable reconfiguration important to the industry.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and B are perspective view of the interior of a router chassisdepicting an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of a motherboard;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the business end of a router;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the motherboard and midplane;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a card slot divider and a card slot;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a card slot divider being inserted intoa card slot;

FIGS. 7A and B are perspective views of the card slot divider;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternate embodiment of the card slotdivider;

FIGS. 9A-9D are block diagrams of different Network Module slotconfigurations;

FIGS. 10A and B are perspective views of a Network Module slot divider;

FIGS. 11A and B are perspective views of the insertion of a NetworkModule slot divider into a Network Module;

FIGS. 12A and B are perspective views of a Network Module slot adapter;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the hardware for mounting NetworkModule slots and adapters; and

FIGS. 14A and B are perspective views of Network Module adaptersinserted in various configurations in Network Module slots.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of theinvention. Examples of these embodiments are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings. While the invention will be described inconjunction with these embodiments, it will be understood that it is notintended to limit the invention to any embodiment. On the contrary, itis intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as maybe included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined bythe appended claims. In the following description, numerous specificdetails are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding ofthe various embodiments. However, the present invention may be practicedwithout some or all of these specific details. In other instances, wellknown process operations have not been described in detail in order notto unnecessarily obscure the present invention.

The invention will now be described with reference to variousembodiments implemented in a router. In the following, the term routeris utilized broadly to include any component such as a router, bridge,switch, layer 2 or layer 3 switch, gateway, etc., that is utilized toimplement connectivity within a network or between networks. In thefollowing, embodiments will be described, by way of example, notlimitation, that operate on routers designed and manufactured by theassignee of the present patent application. However, it is understood bypersons of skill in the art that the invention has broad utility in anyrouter.

FIGS. 1A and B are perspective views, from two different viewpoints, ofthe interior of a router chassis showing parts of an embodiment of theinvention and FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of the motherboard. Thechassis includes a business side having slots for holding variousmodules. A schematic view of the business side of the chassis depictedin FIGS. 1A and B and FIG. 2 is depicted in FIG. 3.

Turning first to FIG. 1A, the “business side” of the router 10 (depictedschematically in FIG. 3) includes two card slots 20-22 partitioned (asdescribed in detail below) to hold four cards 30-36 that may be WideArea Network Interface Cards (WICs), Voice Interface Cards (VICs),Voice/Data Interface Cards (VWICs), High Speed Network Interface Cards(HWICs), or other types of interface cards.

The figure also depicts two Network Module (NM) slots 40 and 42 eachconfigurable (as described below) to hold various combinations ofExtended Double Wide Network Modules (XDWNMs), Double Wide NetworkModules (DWNMs), Extended Single Wide Network Modules (XSWNMs) and/orSingle Wide Network Modules (SWNMs).

As depicted in FIGS. 1A and B, the reconfigurable card slots 20-22 arepositioned on the a removable motherboard 60. The removable motherboard60 has a wide section 62 on which the card slots 20-22 are mounted and anarrow section 64 which passes through an opening of a vertical midplane80. The anterior portion of the wide section 62 of the motherboard formsthe upper part of the business side of the router

As will be described in more detail below, the card slots and NM slotsare reconfigurable allow components with different form factors to beutilized in the same router chassis.

A first embodiment of the invention will now be describe that utilizes afield replaceable motherboard that can be removed and replaced withoutremoving the router from the rack. FIG. 2 depicts an elevation view ofthe motherboard 60. The motherboard 60 has a wide external section 62and a narrow insertion section 64. First and second MB tabs 65 and 66 onthe wide external section extend beyond the narrow insertion section andeach MB tab has a front edge comprising the business side of themotherboard and a rear edge. In this embodiment ejectors are used toinsert the motherboard into the slot.

The system for connecting the field replaceable motherboard 60 to themid-plane 80 will now be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 4. Asdepicted in FIG. 2, first and second motherboard connectors 70 and 72are positioned on the surface of the motherboard 60 at the rear edges ofthe first and second MB tabs 65 and 66.

The mid-plane board 80 has a cutaway section bounded by tabs 84 and 86.First and second mid-plane connectors 88 and 90 are positioned on thetabs 84 and 86 of the midplane so that complementary motherboardconnectors positioned on the rear edges of the MB tabs 65 and 66 of theremovable mother board 60 mate with the mid-plane connectors when thenarrow insertion section 64 is slid between the mid-plane tabs 84 and86.

The presently described motherboard/mid-plane configuration allows theentire motherboard to be field-replaced without removing the router froma rack unit.

Another feature of the presently described embodiment is a removablecenter guide that allows a card slot to be configured to hold two singlewide cards or a single double wide card. FIG. 5 is a perspective view ofa reconfigurable card slot 20 and a card slot divider 80, FIG. 6 depictsthe insertion of the card slot divider into the card slot 20, and FIGS.7A and B are detailed perspective views of the card slot divider 80.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the card slot 20 has a track 82 into whichthe card slot divider 80 is inserted. A rail on the lower part of thecard slot divider slides into a track 82 located in the slot and screwhole 84 is located on the front of the slot below the track 82.

FIG. 6 is a more detailed view of the process of inserting the card slotdivider 80. In this embodiment the track 82 is made of plastic and arail 86, formed as the lower part of the slot divider, is slid into thetrack 82. A screw 88 is then tightened into the screw hole 84 on theslot bezel.

FIGS. 7A and B are detailed rear and front views, respectively, of thecard slot divider 80. As described above, the card slot divider 80includes a rail 86, a front tab 90 with screw, and also includes a cardtrack 92 for guiding a card inserted into the card slot when the cardslot divider 80 is installed.

An alternate embodiment of the card slot divider, depicted in FIG. 8, isa two-pronged metal slot divider that inserts into a guide. This twotypes of slot dividers depicted not interchangeable.

A network module slot is configurable to hold either an single ExtraDouble Wide Network Module (XDWNM), a single Double Wide Network Module(DWNM), or a combination of an Extra Single Wide Network Module (XSWNM)and/or a Single Wide Network Module (SWNM). This flexibility ofconfiguration is utilized through the use of combinations of a NM slotdivider and/or NM adapter(s).

The configuration options for this embodiment are depicted schematicallyin FIG. 9A-D (not to scale). In FIG. 9A, an NM slot 20 with no divideror adapters holds an XDWNM. In FIG. 9B, two adapters (A) are insertedinto one side of the NM slot so that the NM slot holds a DWNM. In FIG.9C, a divider (D) is inserted into the NM slot 20 so that the NM slotholds two XSWNMs. In FIG. 9D, an adapter (A) is inserted adjacent to theright side of each XSWDM slot depicted in FIG. 9C so that the NM slotholds two SWNMs.

Network modules are in the form of boxes so the NM slots must havesmooth bottom surfaces to allow insertion of network modules into the NMslots. Accordingly, a system of dividing and configuring the slots hasbeen developed that allows the bottom surfaces of the slots to remainsmooth to provide no obstructions when modules are inserted.

An embodiment of the NM slot divider will now be described withreference to FIGS. 10A and B and 11 A and B. In FIGS. 10A and B, the NMslot divider 100 is formed of an elongated body 102 including a top rail104 and a guide for a long screw 106. Guide tabs 108 are located on theback side of the elongated body 102. The elongated body part 102includes openings to allow cooling air circulation and clips 110 for EMI(Electromagnetic Interference) reduction.

The process for inserting the NM slot divider 100 into the NM slot 20 isdepicted in FIGS. 11A and B. In FIG. 11A, the top rails 104 of the NMslot divider 100 are inserted into guide rails (not shown) located atthe top of the NM slot module 20. The NM slot divider 100 is pushed intothe slot and the tip of the slot divider's screw 106 and guide slots 108fit into holes in hardware mounted at the back of the slot. When it isfully seated, the front surface of the slot divider 100 is flush withthe router's rear panel. FIG. 11B depicts the configuration depicted inFIG. 9C for holding two XSWNMs.

The slot adapters will now be described with reference to FIGS. 12A andB, FIG. 13, and FIGS. 14A and B. In FIGS. 12A and B, the slot adapter150 includes a front face 152 having a thumbscrew 154 mounted therein.The end of the slot adapter has a triangular end 156 formed thereon. Theslot adapter has rectangular holes to allow for cooling air circulationand clamps 158 for EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) reduction.

FIG. 13 depicts the hardware configuration for holding the back ends ofthe card slot divider 100 and card slot adapter 150 stable in the NMslot. A single-capacity receptacle 160 is mounted mid-point at the rearof the slot and has an elongated section 162 for having threaded holesfor accepting the tip of the long screw 106 and the guide slots 108 ofthe module slot divider 100 and has a tab portion 164 having arectangular opening for accepting the triangular end of a slot adapter150. A double-capacity receptacle 166 has a tab portion 168 having tworectangular openings for accepting the triangular ends of two slotadapters.

To insert a slot adapter, first the slot adapter is oriented forinsertion, with the captive thumbscrew at the right side. Then, insertthe slot adapter into the far right edge of the network module slot,guide the triangular end of the slot adapter into the rectangular holeat the back of the slot, and align the captive thumbscrew with thethreaded hole in the chassis, slot divider, or adjacent slot adapter.The slot adapter may be fastened to the router chassis, to another slotadapter, or to a slot divider, depending on its installation location.

For example, in FIG. 14A, the first slot adapter 150 a on the right isfastened to the chassis and the second slot adapter 150 b at the left isfastened to a slot divider 100. In FIG. 14B, the first slot adapter 150a on the far right is fastened to the chassis and the second slotadapter 150 b is fastened to the first slot adapter 150 a.

FIG. 14A depicts the configuration of FIG. 9D for SWNMs and FIG. 14Bdepicts the configuration of FIG. 9B for a DWNM.

The invention has now been described with reference to the preferredembodiments. Alternatives and substitutions will now be apparent topersons of skill in the art. Accordingly, it is not intended to limitthe invention except as provided by the appended claims.

1. An apparatus comprising: an elongated section having a bottom railconfigured to be inserted into or removed from a track disposed at thebottom part of a card slot; first and second guide tracks, disposed,respectively, on first and second sides of the elongated section andabove the rail, with each guide track adapted to guide a card insertedinto a card track; and a fastening mechanism, formed at a first end ofthe elongated section, adapted to secure the apparatus in the card slotto divide the card slot into parts.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherethe card slot is at least partially enclosed by a bezel and where thefastening mechanism comprises: a tab positioned below the rail holding ascrew adapted to be aligned with a threaded hole in the bezel.
 3. Asystem comprising: a slot track in a card slot; a card slot dividerincluding a rail for insertion into slot track and a card track forholding one side of a card inserted into the card slot; and a fasteningmechanism for holding the card slot divider in the track.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 1 where the card slot is at least partially enclosedby a bezel and where the fastening mechanism comprises: a tab positionedbelow the rail holding a screw aligned with a threaded hole in thebezel.
 5. An apparatus comprising: a module slot divider adapted to beinserted into or removed from a network module slot to divide a networkmodule slot into first and second network module sub-slots wheninserted; and a module slot adapter adapted to be inserted into orremoved from the first network module sub-slot to reduce the width ofthe first network module sub-slot when inserted.
 6. The apparatus ofclaim 5 where: the module slot divider includes a top rail adapted tofit into guide rails disposed at the top of the network module slot whenthe slot divider is inserted.
 7. The apparatus of claim 5 where: themodule slot adapter includes a tab positioned to be inserted into anopening at the rear of the network module slot to secure the module slotadapter in the network module slot when the module slot adapter isinserted.
 8. The apparatus of claim 5 where: the module slot adapterincludes a front face having a fastening device and fastening devicereceptacle positioned so that the fastening device of a first moduleslot adapter fastens to the fastening receptacle of a second module slotadapter to secure the first module slot adapter to the second moduleslot adapter when the first and second module slot adapters areadjacently positioned.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8 where: the networkmodule slot divider includes a front face having a fastening receptaclepositioned so that the fastening device of a first module slot adapterfastens to the fastening receptacle of the network module slot dividerto secure the first module slot adapter to the network module slotdivider when the first module slot adapter is positioned adjacent to thenetwork module slot divider.
 10. The apparatus of claim 8 where: thefastening device of the module slot adapter is positioned to fasten to afastening receptacle on a bezel surrounding the network module to securethe network module slot adapter to the bezel.
 11. The apparatus of claim8 where: the fastening device is a screw and the fastening receptacle isa threaded hole.
 12. The apparatus of claim 6 where: the module slotdivider includes a guide for a long screw utilized to secure the moduleslot divider in the network module slot.
 13. The apparatus of claim 7further comprising: a first receptacle, mounted at about a midpoint ofthe network module slot, adapted to engage the tab of an adapterinserted into the slot; and a second receptacle, mounted at a side ofthe network module slot, adapted to engage the tabs of a pair ofadapters when inserted in the network module slot.
 14. The apparatus ofclaim 12 where: a first receptacle, mounted at about a midpoint at therear of the network module slot, having a threaded hole adapted toreceive the long screw that secures the module slot divider.
 15. Anapparatus comprising: means for dividing a slot of a network device intofirst and second parts when inserted into the router slot, with meansfor dividing being removable to configure the slot of the router as asingle slot or a slot divided into first and second parts; and means fornarrowing the width of a slot or part of a slot when inserted into aslot or part of a slot with means for narrowing being removable todecrease or increase the width of a slot or part of a slot